


Welcome to Storybrooke

by Notanotherspider



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:20:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24144262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notanotherspider/pseuds/Notanotherspider
Summary: Emma Swan and Regina Mills are two very different women whose paths cross at random. With the help of their respective children, they will get rid of their prejudices and fears to find happiness.The content is always better than the summary.
Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, Pinocchio | August Booth/Red Riding Hood | Ruby, Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard
Comments: 17
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote a lot more than this but for a first chapter it seemed too much. I hope I can post one chapter a day and that you enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying writing it.

Emma Swan was finishing fitting the bags with clothes in the car. She had already shipped the rest of her belongings with the moving truck, which had arrived the day before at Storybrooke. All that remained was for them to be there too and the move would be final. She turned her head and saw her friend August Booth holding hands with her daughter Hope descending the stairs of the building.

“Are we ready to go, mom?” The girl asked her mother with hopeful eyes. Both women loved Boston, but lately Hope was suffering at school. Her classmates had made fun of her and the situation had worsened when the school board decided to advance her one year. Not only did they tease her, but they took out her school supplies, pulled her hair and pushed her at recess.

When her mother had discussed the possibility of moving to Storybrooke, Hope was excited by the change of scenery.

Emma sighed wearily. “Yes, honey. Let’s get you in the car.” She opened the door and the girl quickly climbed into the back seat. “Tell me this is the right thing to do, August.” She begged her friend once she had closed the door.

“Emma we’ve been over this a thousand times. This is what’s best for Hope and maybe for all of us. I know you don’t trust Neal’s father, but he’s offering you a great opportunity.” August replied to her and put her hands on her shoulder while smiling sweetly at her. “Besides, I’ll be right there with you, like always.”

“Thank you, August.” Emma hugged him and they got in the car to begin their journey to Storybrooke, Maine.

\- - - -

Regina Mills was in her office reviewing some details in the city budget. She hated having to work when her son Henry had no activity, but if she could finish the paperwork by Saturday morning, she would have the afternoon and all of Sunday off to spend time with her family. Although Henry was delighted to spend the morning with his Aunt Zelena, his cousin Robyn and his grandmother Cora, Regina couldn't help but feel guilty.

The relationship she had with her son had deteriorated a lot lately. She knew that the boy was having problems with his classmates, but she hoped that with the new start in school and with the help Dr. Hopper was giving Henry, everything would soon be better.

A knock on the door took her away from her duties. "Come in." She said by signing the last documents she had reviewed.

"Excuse me, Madam Mayor. Sheriff Humbert asked me to tell you that he needs to speak to you." She was informed by her secretary Tamara.

“I see.” Regina answered dryly. "Thank you, Tamara. I am done for the day, if there is no other item on the agenda, you're excused." She told her secretary as she packed up her things and prepared to leave.

"Thank you, Madam Mayor. See you on Monday." Tamara said goodbye with a smile.

Once she sat in her car, the mayor checked her cell phone. Indeed, she had two messages from Graham.

 _"Hey, Regina, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"_ He had written her in the first one.

" _Sorry, I forgot you were with Henry. Maybe I could come over to your place once he's asleep. I bought a bottle of wine that I'm dying to try with you."_ It said the second message.

Regina rolled her eyes. She'd been in a casual relationship with Graham for a few months, and while she was having a good time with him, she wasn't interested in making any serious commitments.

 _"I am sorry, Graham, but that is not going to be possible. Henry has been a little anxious about the start of school and I plan to stay with him all weekend. Talk to you soon."_ She wrote back. She wrote a final message to her sister Zelena that she was on her way and put the cell phone in her purse.

\- - -

"Mom, I'm really hungry." Hope complained when she saw a Granny's diner sign out the window.

"Okay, sweetheart. I'm going to leave you here with your Uncle August for lunch, while I go talk to Mr. Gold about the apartment." Emma said, smiling at her daughter. She didn't want the girl to meet her grandfather without talking to him first. She understood that the man was not responsible for Neal's actions, but she still felt a great deal of anger towards him and had a great deal of mistrust of his family.

"We'll order something for you!" exclaimed Hope kissing her mother on the cheek and getting out of the car quickly.

Rupert Gold's house was majestic. Emma had deduced that Neal's father had money but had not imagined what she saw as she drove up to the entrance of the mansion. A man was waiting for her to drive her to one of the rooms where she would meet Gold.

After a few minutes of waiting, a beautiful woman came out of one of the doors. "You must be Emma. My name is Belle Gold, I'm Rupert's wife." A puzzled expression passed across her face. That woman could not have been much older than she was. Belle noticed but chose to ignore it. After all these years, she had grown accustomed to people's prejudice. "Please come in. Rupert is waiting for you."

Those words brought the blonde out of her trance. "Hmm humm... Yeah... Nice to meet you, Belle. Thank you." She said awkwardly and entered the room.

"Emma Swan! What a pleasure to finally meet you! Come in, have a seat." Gold said enthusiastically, as he shook her hand.

Once in her seat, Emma noticed several photographs hanging on the wall. None of them had Neal in them. Most were of Rupert and his wife. But she also noticed several of two girls, one with red hair and one with brunette hair. There was one of the brunette girl smiling as she held a trophy and wore a riding suit; in another, she was smiling at what appeared to be her high school graduation; in the next, she was wearing a university graduation robe; and in another, already turned into a woman, she could be seen on a podium giving a speech. She was the most beautiful woman Emma had ever seen. Maybe Neal had a sister she didn't know about.

"Miss Swan?" Gold looked at her intrigued.

"Oh, yes... I'm sorry. I got distracted for a second." She replied in shame.

"I had asked you if you could tell me where my granddaughter is right now."

"I left Hope with my friend August at Granny's. She was very hungry after the trip and if I can be honest, I'm still not comfortable with you guys meeting." Emma noticed the look of disappointment on the man who bitterly nodded.

"I can't tell you that I'm not disappointed, but after the way my son behaved with you, I'm not surprised by your objection. Let me assure you, Miss Swan, that my only wish is to make amends for the harm done to you. To you and my granddaughter. I regret Neal's behavior, but I can't change the past as much as I'd like to.”

Emma had the quality to always be able to detect when a person was lying to her. She analyzed the man carefully and was reassured to find that he was honest with her.

"My wife, Belle and I, are looking forward to getting to know you and Hope better. I've waited ten years for this moment, I can wait a little longer. But enough of all this." Gold said with resolution. He opened a drawer in his desk and took out two sets of keys. "Here are the keys to the apartment. I took the liberty of leaving a few things for my granddaughter, I hope you don't mind. And these are the keys to the gym. I'm confident that you and Mr. Booth can handle the business comfortably. The place is fully equipped for the classes you'll be teaching there. However, feel free to contact me if you need any extra help."

"Regarding that... I intended to ask you..." Emma started out unsure of how to ask. "How much would the rent cost? For the apartment and the gym of course." She was worried that she couldn't pay her fair share. The man had been generous enough to pay for Hope's school fees, her uniform, and her school supplies, she didn't want him to pay for anything else. She had always found a way to support her daughter without any help from anyone except August with whom they lived.

"None of that, Miss Swan. For ten years I was absent from my granddaughter's life and from yours. I have a lot of time to catch up with. "Gold said with conviction.

"I insist, Mr. Gold. I can't allow you to give us that much. "Though she hated depending on other people, Emma could see a glimmer of guilt in the man's eyes and understood that this situation was not just about her.

"We can get back to it in a few months, if you insist. But, for now, accept these conditions. At least until the business has been settled." Rupert implored her.

"Okay." The woman accepted in defeat and rose from her chair. "It wasn't your fault that Neal... He didn't leave because of you." The blonde offered those words as comfort.

"I wish I could agree with you." So they both said good-bye.

\- - -

Regina was driving quietly to her sister's house when a yellow car turned in the wrong direction. Fortunately, both drivers were able to stop their vehicles in time. A blonde woman got out of her car in a hurry and approached Regina, who was trying to calm her breathing.

"Are you all right?" The blonde woman asked worriedly without seeing who was inside the car.

The brunette got out of the car in a rage. "Are you an idiot or are you just planning to kill yourself and/or others as well?"

Emma recognized the other woman from the photos she'd seen in Gold's office. She was wearing a short red dress with a suggestive cleavage that left the blonde girl with a gaping mouth.

"Well?" Regina demanded an answer.

"Well, I'm very sorry. I'm not from here and I got a little disoriented on my way out." Emma tried to apologize, but the woman seemed to get more upset.

"Instead of apologizing, I would advise you to take road safety seriously. You could have caused an accident by your lack of attention!" The other woman sneered at her.

"Hey, lady! I said I was sorry! Nothing bad happened so why don't you just relax?" As beautiful as she thought it was, she found the woman incredibly irritating.

"Get in the monstrosity you call a car and get out of my way, or I swear you'll regret it." The mayor threatened her.

"Bitch!" Emma mumbled as she turned to face her car. She hoped the other woman heard her and was almost certain she did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for any mistakes in the writing of this story. I'm going to try to improve so that everyone can enjoy it. Thank you very much for your comments!

Regina arrived at her sister's house still shaken by the unfortunate encounter she had had with the blonde woman. Henry rushed out to meet her. "Mommy, Mommy, come in! I'm with Robyn watching The Avengers." The boy exclaimed excitedly.

"How are you, my little prince?" She sweetly kissed his cheek. "Go finish watching the movie. I'll be talking in the living room with your aunt." The boy ran out to sit on the sofa next to his cousin.

"What happened to you, little sis? You look pale." Zelena asked him worried.

Regina sighed irritably. "An idiot turned the wrong way, luckily I braked in time or we would have crashed. Then the woman got out of the car with an innocent expression and had the audacity to tell me to relax." The brunette dropped into a chair. "I think she was leaving Gold's house, but I'd never seen her in Storybrooke before." She said to her sister, thoughtful.

"Even if you're the mayor of this town, you can't possibly know everyone, little sis. Even though... Did that woman say anything else to you?" Zelena's expression had changed from entertaining to curious.

"You can imagine we didn't have a very long conversation, Zelena. I think she mentioned that she's not from around here. Why the sudden curiosity?" Regina asked.

"It's a little weird... A month ago I heard some rumors involving our beloved Rupert, an unknown woman and Neal..."

"Zelena!" Cora's voice interrupted her. "Regina, I'm so glad you took the time to be with your family." She addressed the sarcastic words to her youngest daughter.

"Good morning, mother. It's good to see you, too." Regina approached her to give her a hug forced by habit.

"I seem to have interrupted your conversation." Cora said, looking at her two daughters and shaking her head. "Having received the best education possible, I'm disappointed to find you gossiping like two teenagers. I expected such an attitude from Zelena, but I thought better of you, Regina." The woman sat down and looked at her daughters to follow her actions.

"It's early for your intrigues, dear mother." Zelena said as she and her sister sat down. "You may know the rumors, and surely you've already inquired about them. If I'm not mistaken, you've always been very close to Gold.” The redhead continued, knowing that the intent of her words would be understood by all women.

"Can any of you explain to me what the hell you're talking about?!" Regina demanded, fed up with her family's wordplay. At times like that, she wished she had kept the distance she once had from her mother.

"I think it's about time you found out what happened to that ungrateful son of Gold. The rumors that have been circulating for some time are true." Zelena opened her eyes in surprise as Regina frowned, not understanding what her mother meant. Neal had left ten years ago and they had never spoken to him again. "Rupert was always very soft on him. "Cora said sternly.

Her youngest daughter moved uncomfortably in her seat. She knew the kind of discipline her mother could impart. She had been a victim of her methods on more than one occasion and remembered that Gold was the only one who tried to intercede on her behalf. Even her father had not been able to cope with Cora's decisions. "Well, you can't expect many parents to think that physical punishment is acceptable, mother." Regina interceded, remembering that she was no longer a frightened child.

"Only parents who seek the best interests of their children are capable of inflicting a little pain for their children's well-being. If Rupert had understood that, he wouldn't be in the middle of this scandal.” Cora stared at her daughter, who held her defiant gaze.

"Can you explain what scandal you are referring to instead of wanting to justify the past?" Zelena intervened, trying to keep the discussion from escalating.

"You may recall that Neal escaped after discovering his father's long-standing affair with that insipid Belle. Well, a few months after he left, the stupid kid contacted Rupert to ask him for money. Apparently, he'd gotten some street woman pregnant. A low-life woman he should never have gotten involved with." The woman sighed, feigning distress and disapproval. "Of course, when I found out, I told Gold not to give him a penny. That woman probably used Neal's naivety to convince him to go to his father with that story and get money out of him."

"Mother! How can you say a thing like that?" Regina asked in shock.

"Of course she said it. Don't you know our mother, little sis?" Zelena said with a small smile.

"Neal was twenty when he left. He had dropped out of college, had no means of supporting himself much less a child. We've known him since he was born, we were raised as siblings! Although we don't know who this woman is, I know that Neal is incapable of plotting something like this against his father." Regina tried to defend him. Neal was like a younger brother to her. He had always been a rebellious child, but he had never committed a malicious act.

"My poor, innocent daughter." Cora replied with a grieving voice. "You still refuse to learn from your mother's wisdom. What will you think of your precious Neal when you know the truth? I'm tired of repeating that if you blindly trust people, you'll end up disappointed."

"What do you mean, mother? Speak up!" Regina looked at her sister, who was looking at her with sad eyes.

"My beloved girl, Gold gave a large sum of money to his son and urged him to return home. He even offered him a job in his company and a house to live with that woman. Rupert intended to take care of everything. Imagine his disappointment, when his son disappeared completely with the money, leaving the pregnant woman alone in Boston." Regina was pale on hearing this. She couldn't believe that Neal had acted so cowardly and selfishly. She looked at her sister for confirmation and when she found her head down looking at her hands, she knew it was true.

"Now the woman showed up in Storybrooke with her bastard child, surely looking for a financial gain. Gold has no choice but to help her, even though the scandal is already circulating in the mouths of everyone in our circle." Cora continued impassively. "I hope this will serve as a lesson to you. Unfortunately, your economic position is going to attract this scum who are looking to take advantage of you. So, all I want for you Regina is to find someone worthy, who comes from a good family and who is able to provide everything you need financially." The mother stood up from her seat and extended her arms to her youngest daughter who was red with rage.

"I thank you both for taking care of Henry. We will leave immediately." Regina went to get her son and left without saying another word, despite the boy's complaints about not being able to finish watching the film.

"Really, mother? I thought you weren't going to use that speech with Regina anymore. Especially after everything that happened with Daniel." Zelena asked the woman in disbelief.

"Don't look at me like that, Zelena. I only wish the best for your sister. Daniel passed away over ten years ago. At some point, your sister has to get over that loss and find another man. This time someone worthy of her. Regina needs someone's company and Henry needs a father figure.” Cora answered dryly.

"I'm going to give you a few minutes alone to think about what you said. If I'm forced to choose between you and Regina again, I'm going to choose her again. Consider that daddy is no longer here to take your side." The redhead turned around and left the room, leaving her mother alone.

\- - -

Emma walked into Granny's where Hope and August were talking happily to the beautiful waitress.

"Mom!" Hope exclaimed happy to see her mother. "This is Ruby. She works here and is friends with my future teacher, Mary Margaret Nolan, and she was born in this town and knows all the corners of it and almost everyone who lives here. She offered to take us on a tour of the town and show us the fun places. Can we go, Mommy? Can we? Please!" The girl told her mother without breathing, while the adults tried unsuccessfully to hold back their laughter.

"Wow! Slow down, honey." Emma responded happily to see her daughter as excited as she hadn't been in a while. "My name is Emma Swan, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ruby. It seems my daughter has already grown fond of you." The woman laughed.

"I can assure you it's mutual. I have never met a more adorable, intelligent child." The waitress responded kindly. The girl smiled proudly at the woman's words. "The offer to show you the town still stands for when you think it's convenient. Your daughter ordered a cheeseburger for you, shall I prepare it to go or bring it to the table?"

"To go, please. I have the keys to the apartment and I want to start unpacking as soon as possible." Emma replied politely. Ruby smiled at her and went to the counter to prepare the order.

"So, how did it go with Mr. Gold?" His friend August asked him.

"Better than I expected. I’ll tell you later, when little ears are not hearing us." Emma told him, looking at Hope who was frowning.

After Ruby delivered the order and left her contact number, the three of them headed to their new home. The apartment was much more luxurious than they expected. It had three bedrooms, a large living room, two bathrooms and a large kitchen, although neither of the two adults knew how to cook very well.

"Mommy, look at my bedroom! Look at all these toys, all these books!" shouted her daughter excitedly.

Gold had filled the room with children's decorations, a small three-bedroom library filled with books, and more toys than Emma could buy. On the one hand, the mother was happy about all the things she had received, but on the other hand, she didn't think it was right that the child's grandfather had bought so many things.

"Honey, this is all a gift from your grandfather, but I think it was a little excessive." She didn't know how to explain to her daughter that she couldn't keep all those things. "I'm going to explain him that you don't need that much and that we're going to return some things."

"But mommy, I've never been given such nice things before." Hope said with her eyes full of tears. "Please let me have everything and I promise I won't ask for anything ever again. Not even on my birthday." The little girl begged by putting her hands together and pouting.

"Come on, Emma, don't be so hard. It's just for once. After all, the man only wants to spoil his granddaughter, like every grandfather." August intervened on behalf of the child.

"No way! You can choose three things to keep, the rest we'll put in a box and return. Love can't be bought with material things. You'll have time to bond." Said the mother firmly.

The girl looked at her mother and then at the new things. She started to cry, but she began to look for the three things she was going to keep. The blonde woman left the room with her friend.

"I don't like this, August. Gold is giving us a place to live, a business to run and all this stuff for Hope. I understand he wants to make up for lost time with her but it's too much!" Emma told her friend.

"Come on, Ems. No one has ever helped us. He's not giving you anything you're not entitled to. Let's finish unpacking and tomorrow we can go around town." August tried to convince his friend. "On Monday, when Hope is at school you can talk to Gold." Emma nodded as she opened one of the boxes.

\- - -

Sunday came faster than expected. Because of the fatigue of the trip, there were still some boxes to unpack and several things to put away. Emma and August finished all the activities that were missing during the morning and left Hope to rest.

"We should call Ruby." The man commented to his friend. "Maybe she can point out a place to go for a walk with Hope, or even join us." He said, blushing slightly.

Emma looked at her friend and began to laugh. "I think you have a crush. Are you going to use my daughter as an excuse to see her or are you going to ask her out sometime?" She asked him amusingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ems. She was very nice to us and I think you could use a female friend. That's all." August replied defensively. "I'll call her anyway."

"Please do. I need your help to make friends." Emma replied dramatically.

After breakfast, the three of them went to the park that Ruby had indicated. The brunette was already in place, waiting for them.

"Ruby!" Hope ran to give her new friend a hug.

"How are you, beautiful?" The woman tenderly hugged her back.

"Wow! This park is amazing. Look, Hope, all the games there are." Emma pointed to a wooden track. Indeed, the park had a variety of children's attractions: two handrails; two swings with three seats each, one for younger children and one for older children; three slides of different heights; and the wooden circuit, with obstacles and a little house in the middle.

"The lady mayoress had it built two years ago. She felt it was important that all children had a safe place outdoors to have fun." Ruby explained to her.

"Can I go play, Mom?" Her daughter asked her.

"Of course, we'll be sitting on this bench. Don't go too far and behave yourself." She instructed the girl who ran to the games.

A few hours later, the temperature dropped a few degrees. August and Ruby were talking excitedly. Emma could tell they both liked each other and hit it off. It had been a long time since she had seen her friend so hooked on someone, and it seemed like it was reciprocated. She thought it was a good time to go get some jackets from the car, which was parked a few blocks away, and let the two of them have some time alone while they looked after Hope.

She was playing happily on one of the slides with several children of different ages. 

"Hi, I'm Henry. Would you like to go on the swings with me?" Said a boy with brown hair and a friendly expression.

"Yes! I'm Hope and I'm nine years old. How old are you?" The little girl asked him as they walked.

"I'm eleven." He replied proudly that he was older than her. "If you want, I can show you a trick I do on the swing. My mom doesn't like me to do it because it's super dangerous, but I've never been hurt." He told her with an air of severity. 

After thinking about it for a few seconds, the little blonde girl agreed. She was afraid the boy would get hurt but he seemed very sure of what he wanted to show her.

Henry began to swing harder and harder. When he gained a good height he yelled at his friend to look and jumped off the swing. The landing was perfect, but the swing went out of control and hit the girl on the top of the forehead.

Regina, who had been watching her son closely while talking to her friend Katherine, got up as soon as he jumped off the swing. When she saw the swing hit a small girl's head, she ran to them without a second thought.

"Henry, what were you thinking?!" She scolded her son, as she bent down to see how much the girl had hurt herself. The little girl was trying to hold back her tears in shame, she had a little cut on her head, where the hair starts. When Regina saw this, she sat down on the floor and held the girl in her arms while Henry, worried, apologized and wiped his tears with one hand. "It's all right, little one. I know it hurts, it's okay to cry. It's going to be okay, I'm going to find your mommy and we're going to take you to the hospital to get that cut checked out." The woman tried to comfort the little girl who held on tightly to her shirt and let the tears flow from her eyes. She gently stroked her back in circles with the palm of her hand while whispering reassuring words.

"What the hell happened?" August asked in terror once he arrived at the scene with Ruby.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want her to get hurt. I swear. It was an accident." Henry replied in tears. "It was all my fault." The boy was heartbroken.

The young waitress knew the boy very well and came over to comfort him. "Accidents happen, Henry. Hope will be fine."

"Are you the father?" Regina asked the man as the girl grabbed her shirt tighter.

"No, I'm... I'm her uncle." He didn't finish his sentence because Emma showed up running with her coats in her hand.

"What happened?" she asked worriedly as she bent down to look at her daughter. The girl held out her arms so she could hug her mother. There were many people in the place, she didn't want to cry in front of everyone but her head hurt a lot. Regina and Emma looked at each other, recognizing each other from their previous encounter, but said nothing about it.

"My son, Henry, was playing on the swing with your daughter and well, he jumped off the swing and hit her on the head. I think she's gonna need some stitches." Regina explained, embarrassed.

The blonde nodded in understanding as she comforted her daughter. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm so sorry, Hope. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm stupid, my mom told me many times not to do that and I did it anyway." Henry apologized in distress.

"Don't say that, kid. It was just an accident." Emma tried to reassure the boy.

"My car is parked on this street. Let me take you to the hospital, miss..." The mayor offered them.

"Swan. Emma. My car's parked a few blocks from here, you don't have to bother." The woman replied politely.

"It wouldn't be a bother. I'd feel a lot better if you'd let me, Miss Swan." Regina insisted. "Henry, Katherine will take you home and we'll talk about this later."

"Go with her, Emma. I'm so sorry this happened. I'll take the car and drive Ruby home." August said to his friend.

"Okay. Come on, honey. We'll go with the lady." The girl nodded in his arms and the mayor drove them to her car.

Once the car was running, Hope relaxed in her mother's arms. "What's your name?" She asked the woman who had helped her

"Regina Mills, baby girl. How do you feel?" She asked sweetly.

"I'm still in a lot of pain. Don't scold Henry too much, Mrs. Mills. I wanted to see him jump. I'm sorry." Regina looked at the girl in the rearview mirror. She couldn't deny that the little girl was really adorable.

"I promise I won't scold him too much, sweet girl." She replied with a smile. "Once inside the hospital, you're going to have to be very brave. I'll make sure you get the best doctor so you don't get a scar."

Emma moved in the seat worried. She had no health insurance and didn't know how much her medical care would cost. She would find a way to pay for it, her priority was her daughter's well-being. They got out of the car and as she entered the hospital with the brunette, she could feel all the staff tensing up at the sight of her. They didn't even have to wait; immediately a nurse led them to a room where a doctor was ready to treat the girl. The nurse returned with some forms that she gave to Emma.

"The care in this hospital is excellent." She pointed to the other woman.

"Thank you." The doctor replied. "I'm Dr. Whale. I'm going to be the one to sew your wound, little girl. Don't worry, I'll give you an anesthetic and disinfect you carefully before I do. "The man explained to the girl, who put on a brave face and nodded.

"I'm sorry my son caused this accident, Miss Swan." Regina said to Emma. "Don't worry about a thing, I'll take care of all the expenses myself."

"No, I can't allow that. I appreciate the gesture, but I'll take care of the expenses, Mrs. Mills." The blonde replied.

"Please don't make this situation more difficult." Said the irritated mayor. "And it's Miss." 

"My mom doesn't like people giving us things." Hope, who had been listening to the whole exchange, intervened. "Yesterday I found a bunch of gifts my grandpa Gold left me in my room and my mom won't let me keep them." Regina opened her eyes to the fact that these were the people she had been talking to her family about. That was the woman that Neal had abandoned pregnant and that was his daughter.

"Well, that's different. Your mother probably has her reasons." The brunette replied to the girl.

"Looks like you've found a rival in stubbornness, Madam Mayor." The doctor commented, amused.

"Dr. Whale, I would appreciate it if you would give your full attention to your patient and not to conversations that are none of your business." Regina replied harshly.

"I didn't realize you were the mayor. Not that I mean you can't... Obviously you can, because you are. What I meant was that you're young... Well, not that young... Not that you're old..." The blonde became entangled in her own words and could see a shy smile forming on the other woman's lips.

"I'm done with this brave girl." Whale saved the blonde from speaking awkwardly. "You'll have to take some antibiotics for a week to prevent infection. But you can go home now." The man approached the blonde. "Good luck dealing with the mayor." He whispered to her amused by the exchange he had heard.

Emma sighed wearily, looked at Hope, who was smiling mischievously at Regina, and relaxed when she saw that the girl was already well.

"Are you going to let me be friends with Henry, after what happened today, Miss Mills?" The little blonde girl asked the mayor making puppy dog eyes.

"Of course I am, darling. I'd be delighted if Henry had a friend like you." Regina suspected the child would quickly become her weakness. "You can call me Regina, if you wish."

"And how about I call you Gina? I mean, you've taken care of me when I was feeling bad and I'd like to call you Gina because it expresses more affection." At this reasoning, the woman burst out laughing. Emma had never heard such a beautiful sound coming from the mouth of a human being.

"Gina is fine with me, but only you can call me that." Said the woman smiling at the girl in the rearview mirror. "This is my contact number." She handed Emma a card. "I'd like to invite you to dinner when it's convenient, to apologize for what happened and so Hope can play with Henry."

"Thank you so much, Regina." The blonde responded with a smile. "We'd love to come to your house for dinner." Having said that, the two blondes got out of the car. Emma looked at the card and smiled, thinking of Regina.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mommy, wake up! I don't want to be late for school." Hope shook Emma, who slowly opened her eyes and smiled.

"Okay, honey. Go eat your breakfast. I'll be there in a few minutes." She stretched out on the bed as the girl left. She smiled at the memory of her dream. She had dreamt of piercing brown eyes, the prettiest red lips she'd ever seen, and the woman she'd met only a short time ago. She checked her cell phone for the time. It was still an hour before her daughter had to be at school, but it was better that she was on time the first day.

When she arrived in the kitchen, the girl was eating cereal. "Are you excited? We have to get there a few minutes early to talk to your teacher and the principal." Emma warned her daughter.

"Yes, Mom. Do you think we can keep it a secret that I skipped a year?" She asked him shyly.

"Why? There's nothing wrong with being smarter than everyone else." Said the blonde swallowing a handful of cereal and milk.

Hope rolled her eyes. "Don't say that. I don't want the other kids making fun of me because I'm younger." The mother looked at her worried.

"No one's going to make fun of you, Hope. And if anyone does, it's an idiot." She told her sternly. "Come on, get your stuff."

Both blondes headed off to school. They arrived 15 minutes later and were met by their daughter's teacher, Mary Margaret Nolan.

She was a woman with short brown hair, had a sweet and enthusiastic expression and was dressed in a white dress with a flower print and a flower pin in her hair. She looked like something out of a fairy tale.

"I am so excited to meet you! I've never taught a gifted child before, Hope." The woman said honestly. "Come this way, the school principal is waiting for you."

If the teacher had liked her, she couldn't say the same about the man she had just met. Every gesture, every word the headmaster addressed to them seemed false. 

"I hope you can adjust to school, Hope. Any problems you have, you can talk to Mrs. Nolan or me." The man smiled at her falsely.

"Thank you, Principal Flynn." The girl replied. The women left the office and went to the schoolyard where other children were waiting for the bell to start the class.

"Look, honey. There's Henry. Why don't you go say hello to him?" Hope nodded, kissed her mother and walked over to her friend. Emma stood next to Mary Margaret, as her eyes followed her daughter's path.

"You have no reason to worry, Emma. Henry is a very sweet boy. I'm sure he'll help Hope settle in." The woman assured the worried mother. "May I call you Emma? It's just that Ruby's told me so much about you that I feel like we're already best friends." She asked her with a smiling expression.

The blonde smiled at this. "Of course, Mary Margaret. I was talking to Ruby about meeting up for drinks Friday night, you should come." She kindly extended the invitation. "Maybe I should tell Regina, too." She could see the smile fading from the other woman's face.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Regina and I don't have the most cordial relationship right now." Mary Margaret sighed bitterly. Emma wondered if something had happened between the two women. The teacher didn't seem to be a person who was at odds with anyone.

"Well, I'll let Ruby sort it out. I have to go and fix the gym. We'll be open next week, you're welcome to drop by anytime." Emma said goodbye to a happy Mary Margaret when the bell rang. 

\- - -

After spending a couple of hours working with August at the gym, Emma went to Granny's to buy coffee. In there, she was happy to see Regina with a cup in hand chatting with Granny.

"Miss Swan, I was hoping to see you. Do you have a second?" Regina asked her with a smile. "See you later, Eugenia."

"Stop by anytime, Reggie." Ruby's grandmother said tenderly. The brunette blushed a little when she noticed that the blonde had heard that nickname and was laughing underneath. Regina only allowed a few people that license. Granny was one of them.

She cleared her throat and proceeded in earnest. "I wanted to inform you that this morning I went to the hospital to pay for the expenses my son has caused you. How is Hope?" she asked with concern.

"You've done what?! I thought it was clear I didn't want you to pay the medical bills." Emma responded angrily.

"Well, Miss Swan, I thought it was clear I was going to pay them anyway." She replied calmly.

"You are unbelievable! What gives you the right to do what I explicitly asked you not to do?" Emma was furious, neither she nor her daughter needed charity from anyone, especially from the woman she was attracted to. "I'm going to pay you back every penny."

"Nonsense, Miss Swan. My intention was not to offend you. If Henry hadn't acted so irresponsibly, you wouldn't have had any expenses to pay. I've only done my part." The brunette said apologetically.

"You are impossible! I told you I don't want your charity. I know people like you think you can solve everything by throwing away a couple of bucks, but that doesn't work with me." Emma could tell she'd hurt the mayor with her words. 

"I see. Rest assured, I will no longer bother you with my... charity, Miss Swan." She told the other woman bitterly, and she left the premises in a hurry.

"Don't sweat it, sister." The blonde turned and found a short man sitting next to a handsome man. "We don't call her the Evil Queen for nothing. " the man added as the other man nodded. "Trust me, sister, that woman can rip your heart out with one sentence."

"Killian Jones, love. At your service." The other man said, holding out his hand, trying to look seductive. Emma laughed inside but shook his hand politely. "Listen to my friend Leroy. There are three families you need to watch out for, here in Storybrook. The Mills is one of them, especially the Madam Mayor." The man warned her.

"I'm gonna have to kick you out again?" Granny yelled at them from the counter. "Now stop gossiping and get back to your own. Ruby! Take the order from your friend. "The men remained seated but didn't dare say another word.

"Two coffees to go?" The waitress asked her.

"Yes, please. I have to get back to the gym. We're almost done." Emma told her friend. Before she left she looked at the other woman and dared to ask. "Should I trust the words of those two?"

"This is a pretty small town, Ems. People's reputations are built on rumors. Regina can seem tough and cold, and maybe that's what she's looking for just..." The woman seemed to be in an internal struggle. "Look, you're gonna have to meet her on your own and draw your own conclusions." The blonde suspected there was a story behind her words but wouldn't look into it. She nodded her head and left.

At the door of the gym she met Belle and a redhead who were talking to August.

"Emma, come. Meet Zelena. She wants to become a member of the gym." His friend explained to her.

"Miss Swan, nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you these days." The woman said amusingly. "You know what they say: small town, big hell."

Emma looked at her in confusion. "Eh uhmmm... Right. If you want August can show you the facilities."

"That won't be necessary. I've known Gold since I was a kid and I know he always makes good investments. My husband and I would love to be the first to sign up." She expressed in the same tone.

"Have you asked Chad at least?" Belle asked him with a smile.

"And why would I do that?" Zelena answered with a laugh.

"That's great! Come with me to the office to fill out the forms, please." August said enthusiastically.

"What a peculiar woman." Emma told Belle when the others entered the gym.

"Peculiar is definitely the word I'd use to describe her." The other one replied with a laugh. "Zelena is an acquired taste, if you ask me. Both Mills sisters have their quirks, but they're great people." The blonde was surprised to find that the redhead was Regina's sister. They looked nothing alike, both physically and in personality.

"Mills? As in Regina Mills?" She asked incredulously.

"I didn't know you'd already met her. They've both always been like daughters to Rupert, but Regina was always his weak spot." The other woman answered with a smile. "I came to ask you what you think of Storybrook so far? Both Rupert and I want you and Hope to feel at home."

"About that... I don't want to seem ungrateful but the gifts you left in Hope's room seemed a little excessive." Emma said to her, feeling a little guilty. Belle looked at her with disappointment.

"I understand. I told Rupert not to overdo the gifts, but he's been so excited about meeting his granddaughter that I don't think he's noticed. Please don't think we meant any disrespect." The brunette asked her nicely.

"I'm sorry, maybe I'm overreacting. The only person I've ever counted on in my life was August. I'm not used to getting help from anyone." The blonde confessed honestly to her.

"Let me assure you that you will no longer be alone. We're all a little emotional, but I understand it's going to take time to get to know each other. I hope someday, you'll feel us to be a part of your family." Gold's wife said hopefully to her. Emma came over and gave him a big hug.

"Thank you. For everything." She whispered in her ear.

"No need to thank me. I'd like to invite you to a party we're having at our house on Saturday. We have it every year, it's a Storybrook tradition, and we'd like you to be there to formally introduce you to our friends." Belle said with a smile.

"We'd be happy to attend." The blonde replied excitedly. She thought maybe her daughter could have the family she hadn't had.

\- - -

The week went by without any major shocks. Emma and August finished the accounts of the gym, recruited a couple of new members and had everything ready for the opening. Henry and Hope were happy at school. They had formed a nice group with Nick and Violet, and George and his group of friends hadn't bothered them yet. Gold and Hope had met on Wednesday after the little girl had left school and they had hit it off beautifully. Regina was very busy all week. But just as everything had been quiet, things got worse on Friday.

Henry, Hope, Nick and Violet were eating their lunch in the school cafeteria when George approached them with his friends.

"Hey, Henry, my dad says we have to go to Mr. Gold's party on Saturday. I guess you'll be going with the Evil Queen, too." He said mockingly. Henry took a deep breath. He had discussed his problems with those kids with his therapist and, this year, he had a strategy for dealing with them.

"No, George. I'll be with my grandparents in another town." The boy answered calmly.

"So the Evil Queen will be alone? My father told me that your mom is so mean that she ripped out your dad's heart and that's why your grandparents don't want to see her." The little boy tried to remain calm at those words. He clenched his hand in a fist but tried to show that it didn't affect him. He didn't notice that Hope, who was sitting next to him, was enraged by what she had just heard.

"Maybe you're right. Try not to get your dad to piss her off on Saturday or she might rip his heart out." Henry replied with a laugh. This made George angry and his friend Hope angry, too.

"Henry! Don't let them say that. Your mother is not evil!" exclaimed the girl. Her friend looked at her desperately, she was ruining his strategy.

"Now you need a little girl to defend you?" George challenged him.

"Pay no attention to her, she doesn't know what she's saying. She doesn't know how evil my mother can be." Nick and Violet looked at the floor in sorrow over what Henry had just said, while Hope was hurt. The other children laughed and walked away mocking the little blonde.

"Why did you say that, Henry? I do know your mother. I don't think she likes knowing you don't defend her." Said the little girl, outraged by her friend's attitude. The boy was furious.

"I don't want to have any trouble with them this year! You don't know anything, you're just a little girl." He replied feeling hurt.

"I'm not a little girl! You're only a year and a few months older than me. You're a coward!" The blonde shouted at him as he got up from his seat.

"And you're a fool!" The boy shouted at her, facing her.

Hope frowned and gave him a push, to which the boy responded in the same way. Nick and Violet got up quickly to separate them but Mary Margaret had already seen them.

"Henry! Hope! Both of you come with me." The woman said sternly.

The teacher took them to the principal's office. She made them wait outside while the secretary called their mothers.

Emma was at Granny's with coffee in her hand when she got the call. She immediately turned around and crashed into another person throwing the coffee on her.

"Miss Swan! May I ask what your problem is with me since you insist on crashing me?" Regina asked irritably.

"I'm sorry. I can't explain, I have to go. I'm sorry." Said the blonde leaving the place in distress.

At that moment, Regina received the same call from the school, sighed and headed over.

When she arrived at the principal's office, she found Hope and Henry sitting in front of him, Mary Margaret standing by the desk, and Emma standing by her daughter.

"Madam Mayor, I'm sorry to have to bother you." Principal Flynn told her, standing up to greet her. "You look radiant, despite... well, the stain on your shirt." The man said gallantly, looking her up and down. Emma found the man's way of looking at Regina unpleasant and cleared her throat to continue explaining why they were there. "As you both know, this institution has zero tolerance for physical aggression, and I'm sorry to tell you that your children were caught pushing each other." The man informed them by feigning distress. 

"Henry!"

"Hope!"

Both mothers exclaimed in alarm at the same time.

"Neither of them wanted to say why they started the fight. But I am forced to suspend them. On Tuesday they can return to school and spend a week in detention." The principal explained. They both nodded their heads. "Mrs. Nolan, who has interceded on behalf of both of you, has assured me that this is just a misunderstanding, but I would like you to explain what this is all about."

"Henry, I want you to explain what happened right now." Regina demanded her son, who just kept his eyes on her hands and shrugged his shoulders. "Right now, Henry." Her voice was stern and terrifying.

"Do you want to know why? Because of you!" The boy exclaimed with his red cheeks. "Because you're mean to everyone and they take it out on me. I wish you weren't my mother! I hate you!" The child cried out in sobs. The adults were stunned by his statements.

"Henry, don't say that!" Mary Margaret intervened without thinking about her fight with the boy's mother.

"Don't you dare..." The actress warned the grieving teacher. "I want you to apologize to Hope and pick up your bag, young man. We'll talk about it at home." The boy looked at her with hatred but still obeyed.

The mother apologized to the adults and the girl, who had not said a word, and took her son home. When they arrived, he locked himself in his room.

After a few minutes, Regina knocked on the door. "Henry, I'm coming in." She found her son lying in bed. "You need to get things ready to go to your grandparents'. David will pick you up in an hour." Her voice wasn't as firm as the principal's office, she seemed distressed, tired.

"Mom... What I said in the principal's office... I was angry." The boy tried to say, but he drowned in sobbing. His mother bent over his bed and gently stroked his cheek.

"I know, Henry. Do you want to tell me what happened at school?" The woman inquired carefully.

"George said his father had told him that you were the Evil Queen and that you'd ripped Dad's heart out, so he died." Her mother sighed in anguish. She could not understand how a father could say such things to a child.

"Henry, look at me. Your father had a terrible accident. He was the only man I ever loved, from the moment I met him until he died. Even now I still love him. There are many things you are still too young to understand, but I don't want you to doubt the love I have for your father and for you. You are the most important person in my life, my little prince." The woman was unable to hold back her tears. Her son put his arms around her and continued to cry on her shoulder.

"I know, Mom. I swear I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it. I love you, Mom. I love you so much." Henry let it all out while his mother held him and stroked his back lovingly.

"I need you to understand, no matter how much someone hurts you, that doesn't justify your actions. It is not acceptable for you to push anyone, much less a girl younger than you. "The brunette said to her son. "When you get back from your grandparents' house, you won't be able to play your video games or read your comics for a week. And I want you to apologize to Hope again and try to make amends to her, understand?"

"I promise. She just tried to defend you. She didn't do anything wrong and I pushed her." The doorbell rang and Regina went to open the door.

She was surprised to see Emma and her daughter on her porch. "Miss Swan! Hope, please come in." She kindly invited them.

"Your house is very nice, Gina." The girl looked on in wonder. Really, she was right, it was a beautiful house. Emma was proud of her daughter's manners, especially when she didn't know what to say.

"Thank you very much, my dear. I'm sorry Henry pushed you today. He's in his room, I'll go get him." It was amazing how such a tough woman could be so sweet when talking to the child.

"Please do that, I'd like to apologize to him. "The little blonde girl said determinedly.

Once Henry and his mother came downstairs, the children stayed in the living room to talk and the mothers went into the kitchen.

"May I offer you something to drink, Miss Swan?" Regina said without looking at Emma.

"No, thank you, Regina. You can call me Emma, if you like." The woman felt the need to offer words of comfort to that mother. Her expression of grief had been etched into her memory. The moment Henry said he hated her, the mask the woman was wearing had slipped off and great pain had been exposed. "I'm sorry for what Henry said before. I'm sure he didn't mean it." The blonde could tell the other woman was getting stiff.

"Thank you, Miss Swan. We've already talked about it." The woman replied with a harsh expression. She narrowed her eyes by studying the other woman. "Henry had trouble with the other children last year. I'm sorry Hope paid for it, she really is a lovely girl." Before they could deepen the conversation, the doorbell rang again.

"Mom, David's here." Henry shouted from the living room. The boy was all set to spend the weekend away from home. As he explained that he was going to visit his grandmothers, Regina and Emma went to greet the man.

"David, let me introduce you to Emma Swan. She recently moved to Storybrook and her daughter is a classmate of Henry's. Miss Swan, this is David Nolan..." The brunette seemed hesitant to introduce him.

The man seemed to realize this and intervened. "I'm Mary Margaret's husband.” They shook hands. Emma sensed that he was a good man, at least he was very nice. “I'm taking Henry to his grandparent's house. Are you ready, buddy?" Henry nodded contentedly and handed her his bag.

"Please call me when you get there." Regina asked with concern. The man nodded with a smile as the boy said goodbye to everyone.

"I don't want you to be alone, Gina." Hope said to her friend's mother. "If you want, I could come over on the weekend, when you're lonely. My mom will be with August so I don't think he'll mind."

The woman felt that the girl's tenderness filled her heart. "Thank you, sweetheart, but I think everyone would feel your absence. Don't worry about me." She bent down and gave her a big hug as her son left with David. Emma looked at the scene with a smile. She felt that every step she took to get closer to the woman pushed her back two more. Luckily, her daughter knew how to approach people better than she did.


	4. Chapter 4

When Ruby arrived at Emma's apartment and saw how she had dressed, she persuaded her to put on other clothes and let her do her make-up.

"Wow, Ruby! You look great!" August expressed with a friendly air when he saw the brunette. Emma could see the woman blushing and smiling flattered by the comment.

"Thank you, August. It feels good to dress up for a change." She responded trying not to look too interested.

"Oh, come on, Ruby! You always look beautiful." The blonde rolled her eyes, she thought it was so obvious how attracted her friends were that it was ridiculous that neither of them dared ask the other out. She assumed that some things were better left to time. Then she cleared her throat to turn her friend's attention to what she was doing to her face.

"We're ready to go." The brunette declared. "Mary Margaret, Belle and Mulan are now in the Rabbit Hole."

"Okay. Auggie call me if you need anything." Emma said as both women walked to the door.

The Rabbit Hole was one of the busiest bars in Storybrook. Ruby explained that it had been closed for a couple of months but Killian, the owner, knew people would come back as soon as it opened. And he wasn't wrong. The place was packed with people. At a table in the back they could see the three women sitting, chatting and having a few drinks.

"Emma, nice to meet you." Said Mulan, holding out her hand and smiling. "Mary Margaret hasn't stopped talking about you for a second." The woman grimaced.

"Don't exaggerate, Mulan. But, well, how long has a person of our age been moving in here?" asked the short-haired woman. "By the way, you look beautiful, Emma. Have you come to find a suitor, perhaps?" She giggled as she drank her drink.

"No, nothing like that. It's all Ruby's doing. If it was up to me, I'd look like I was fresh out of work." She was not ashamed of her sexuality, she was always attracted to women. Neal had been the only man she had ever been with, and she couldn't say that her experience had been a good one. The blonde looked sideways, looking for a waitress or waiter to order a drink but saw no one. "I'm going to get a drink, anybody want anything?"

"No need, Ems. Here comes Tink. Don't deprive Mulan of that pleasure." Ruby informed her by laughing at her blushing friend. A very beautiful blonde woman approached their table with a tray in her hand.

"Okay, girls. I brought you some shots on the house and a few beers. Killian would like to welcome the new arrival." She said with an Australian accent and a wonderful smile. Emma thought that even in a city like Boston she had never seen so many beautiful women in the same place. 

After drinking the shots and a few more drinks, all the women were half drunk except Belle, who hadn't had too much to drink. Mulan had gone to talk to the waitress and hadn't come back. Mary Margaret was telling Emma her story of true love with David, while Ruby looked at her with a bored expression.

"Stop talking, M&M! Let's dance. I didn't wear this dress to sit around all night." She grabbed the woman by the arm before she could complain and dragged her onto the floor. Belle and Emma followed them laughing.

It was the third song they danced to and the blonde was very thirsty so she went over to the bar where Killian was working.

"So, love, what do you think of the bar?" The man asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"I think it's great. I didn't know you owned it." She answered him nicely but screaming because the music was too loud to talk. Killian pointed the way and they both went into a room, which looked more like a VIP section than an office.

"The advantages of being an owner." He said with a smirk as he took two bottles of beer from a mini fridge. "I've been back in the game for a month. I'm still recovering but, well, there are the disadvantages of having the Evil Queen as mayor."

Emma frowned. "What does Regina have to do with it?" she asked intrigued.

The man laughed out loud. "She was the one who had the bar closed. We'd been arguing for some time and well, a woman can hold a grudge. That's why I warned you about her at the diner. I wouldn't want to see a beautiful woman like you..." Jones slowly walked up to her. "suffer at the hands of that bitch, love. I'm looking out for you."

The blonde opened her mouth in surprise. "Well, I don't need it. I can take care of myself. And I don't know what you think is going on here, but I like women." She exclaimed in anger. The man was stunned and raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Sometimes I can't control my urges, especially when someone looks like you." He smiled at her innocently. "I know that Regina has admirable attributes..." He winked at her mischievously. "but she's not a very nice person. It's not really her fault. Her family is rich, she had everything served up on a silver platter, love. She has no sympathy for people like you or me." The man said honestly.

"I don't know why you're telling me these things. I don't even know her! I've seen her a couple of times and they've been a total disaster." Emma tried to sound convincing. That was the truth after all, although she couldn't deny that Regina was very attractive and that she had fantasized about her. But none of that mattered, Killian was right. A woman of her class would never look at her that way. Swan felt hopeless. She had been attracted to other women before, but no one had ever settled so strongly in her head. Everything that came from that woman seemed confusing to her. Everything about Regina Mills was contradictory.

"I think it's time for me to go. Thanks for everything, Killian." She finally said to the man.

"Okay, love. Anything you need, you know where to find me." He answered her nicely.

Emma drank three more shots and left in a hurry without saying goodbye to her new friends. Her head was spinning, she hadn't drunk that much in a long time. She took out her cell phone to let Ruby know she had left, to keep the women from worrying. After she sent the message, the phone slipped out of her hands and fell on the floor.

"Fuck" Emma mumbled as she bent down to pick it up, losing her balance and falling herself.

A car's lights flashed at her. She covered her eyes with one hand to try to see who was there. She could only make out a silhouette through the light.

"Miss Swan, what the hell are you doing lying here?" The blonde could recognize that voice in a crowd.

"Um... I fell...Umm... The cell phone too..." She tried to explain as best she could with the amount of alcohol she had ingested. She felt arms around her pushing her upwards. She didn't know if it was instinct or joy that Regina had found her, but as soon as she could stand up she put her arms around the other woman and squeezed her tightly. She realized that the brunette wasn't expecting that action because she felt how her body tensed.

Regina sighed. "Get in the car, Miss Swan. I'll take you home." She said with unusual tenderness.

Inside the car, an intoxicated Tink was sitting next to the driver's seat. "Hey, I know her! She's the new girl Hook likes." She pointed to a disconcerted Emma.

"Who the hell is Hook?" The woman replied by getting into the back seat.

"Killian Jones. You know the guy who wears eyeliner." Regina snorted at this assessment. "R'gina calls him a pirate." The woman laughed. The other blonde frowned. Killian didn't think he was the best man in the world but she didn't like gossip because she had her own experience with it.

"I think he's a really nice guy." Emma said, waiting to see how the other women would react.

"Of course you believe that. I'm not surprised, considering your judgment caused me to find you lying on the floor at this hour of the morning." The brunette said coldly.

"Don't be rude, R'gina!" Tink scold her. "Don't worry, new girl. My friend barks but doesn't bite. In fact, she's very sweet. We kissed once and it was like kissing a cloud." The woman said with an expression so serious and drunk it was ridiculous. The blonde in the back seat couldn't contain a big smile when she heard that. Maybe she had a shot at the mayor. Although she was increasingly doubtful whether or not it was worth trying.

"Tink!" The mayor exclaimed in a flush. "We're in your house. Get out of the car and go inside so you can sober up." She ordered her impatiently.

"What? Sometimes I wonder why the hell I introduced you to Robin. You guys were a really cute couple and he's really handsome, but I should have asked you out." The blonde explained more to her than the others. "I was too young at the time. And Robin was, well, the ideal man. He was crazy about R'gina, tried to get her for months, new girl."

"That's enough, Tink. Get out of the car and stop talking already." Regina complained in irritation. "I'd like to sleep sometime and I still have to take Miss Swan home." She looked at her friend in an intimidating way.

"You sure know how to scare people." Said the blonde, laughing as she got out of the car. 

Even though Tink was already inside her house, Regina didn't start the car. She watched Emma through the rearview mirror. The blonde was looking at her, too, her body slumped over the seat. "Are you going to get in the front seat or do you want to pretend I'm your driver?" the brunette finally asked, somewhat annoyed.

Swan got out of the car and got in the front without saying a word. When the other woman started the car, she told her the address she needed to go.

"How do you feel, Miss Swan? Let me know if you need me to pull over." The mayor said, hoping to interrupt the awkward silence that had formed between them.

"The truth? Confused." The blonde responded, studying the other woman's face. "Half the people I've met seem to hate or fear you and the other half seem to love you. And please, call me Emma."

"And what do you think of me, Em-ma?" No one had ever said her name that way. It seemed like the woman was caressing it with her lips.

"I'm not sure. I didn't see you at the bar." The blonde tried to change the subject. Regina snorted.

"Like I'd ever go into that mouse trap. Tink called me to inform me she'd had too much to drink and I went to get her, as you could see." She replied in a haughty tone.

"What's the matter with the bar? Isn't it good enough for you?" Emma asked her defiantly.

"In fact, the place is not the problem. If you must know, my problem is with who runs it." And at that moment the mask was back on.

"Is that why you tried to shut it down? Your friend Tink would have been out of a job, too, and the other employees. Although I don't think any of them make big campaign contributions." The mayor felt that woman plunge a dagger into her chest with those words.

"I guess now we know what you think of me at least, Miss Swan." She gave her a quick look with her eyes narrowed. " I never imagined you were the type of person to get carried away by rumors. But appearances can be deceiving." She struck back.

"That's rich of you! Stop the car here!" The blonde exclaimed. Mills pulled over quickly and stopped the car thinking the blonde was feeling dizzy. But she couldn't be more wrong, the newcomer got out of the car, slammed the door and started walking on the sidewalk.

"What do you think you're doing? Are you out of your mind? It's dangerous for you to walk home alone at this hour!" Regina screamed as she started running towards the upset woman.

"I don't care. I can defend myself, I've done it all my life." Emma kept walking until the brunette stood in front of her. Only then did she notice that the other woman was dressed in a black silk nightgown and gown. Although she was angry at her, she had to admit that that was a vision.

"Turn around and get back in the car this instant! I'm not going to let you put yourself in danger." The mayor said firmly as she caught her breath back.

"Why are you doing this? You're exasperating! One second you're cold and distant and the next you seem to care. I can't deal with you now." The blonde tried to avoid her but Regina grabbed her arm.

"Please, Emma. I just want you to get home safely." The woman sighed defeated. "Before Henry was born, I was married to the most wonderful man who ever lived... His name was Daniel… We were young and very much in love… One night, a series of irresponsibilities caused him to be in an accident.” Swan turned to face the woman. Her eyes were filled with tears. Her expression was one of deep pain, it was evident that what she was saying affected her and that it was very difficult for her to express it. “I know I'm not the nicest, friendliest person, but let me take you home." The mayor was hoping that honesty would get Emma into her car. “Since that day... I cannot allow... I don't want anyone to go through what I went through that day.”

The blonde understood at that moment that the mayor was showing her her most vulnerable side to protect her. She could tell how hard it had been for that tough woman to open up like that. She took her hand to Regina's cheek and gently caressed it, wiping away a tear. Green eyes stopped at Mills' vulnerable brown eyes. "God, you're beautiful." The words escaped like a sigh from her mouth. Her eyes drifted to the lips of the woman, who looked at her curiously. When the brunette bit her lower lip, Emma couldn't resist and came closer until there was almost no distance between them. The other woman held her breath and Swan dared to shorten the distance by joining her lips.

The kiss started out shyly. Emma brushed against the other woman's lips and soon deepened it. It was really like kissing a cloud. After a few seconds, the blonde realized that the mayor wasn't kissing her back. The brunette placed her hands on the shoulders of the taller woman sharply and gently pushed her back.

Regina blinked quickly, looking at the other woman. The kiss had stirred up a maelstrom of feelings she didn't feel ready to face. "I'm going to choose to believe that it was the alcohol you ingested that drove you to act that way, Miss Swan." The blonde was red with shame, she couldn't believe she had behaved the way Killian had. She nodded awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, Regina. I didn't mean to offend you or make you uncomfortable." Emma still couldn't believe what she'd done. "You're probably right, and it was the alcohol." She felt like an idiot.

"There's no need to talk about it, dear. I'll take you home." What followed was the most uncomfortable journey they'd both experienced. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Three years before. Henry Senior’s funeral.**

_The Mills mansion was packed with people. Henry Mills Sr. had been a great man, esteemed by much of the city. Regina was standing near her father's coffin, greeting those who came to say goodbye to him and offer their condolences to his family. Although she felt a heart-pounding pain inside, her role as mayor forced her to display the socially expected courtesy. Zelena was by her side, giving her encouragement and comfort when she needed it. "Have you seen our mother? I think I need a moment alone to recover, Zee." Regina snuck out of the place and headed for the studio that had belonged to her father._

_"Henry was a good husband, Rupert. Always willing to give me what I needed." The woman could recognize her mother's voice. She had no intention of interrupting what seemed like an intimate conversation, so she stood by the door on the outside._

_"Come on, Cora! We know each other too well to lie to each other. Henry was impressionable, that's why you married him. You could manipulate him at will, knowing that the coward would never dare to contradict you. Not even when you made Regina's life hell." Regina was shocked to hear that. How could she dare say such an outrage about her father on that day._

_"He was right not to oppose my wishes. After all, I only wanted the best for my daughter. Your problem, dear Rupert, is that you always wished Regina was your daughter."_

_"Can you blame me, darling? As I recall, Henry was traveling a lot at the time of Regina's conception and you were too eager for a warm bed. If it weren't for the physical resemblance she bears to her father, I would still hesitate..." The words drowned in his mouth when Regina abruptly opened the door. She stormed over to where Gold was sitting, unable to process what she had heard._

_"Get out of here, Gold! Get up from my father's chair and leave this instant!" Cora came out of her initial surprise and rushed to take her daughter by the forearm to keep her from coming closer to the embarrassed man._

_"Daughter, please don't make a fuss on a day like this. This is no time to be childish." Her daughter turned to look at her face._

_"Really, mother? You expect me to pretend I didn't hear anything? To play the fool after hearing how both of them made fun of my father? I want this man out of this house. Right now!" Gold had stood up and was near the door he had closed a few moments earlier. He felt no guilt about having been Cora's lover, that was part of the past and he was no longer the same man as he was then. His regret was to have hurt Regina, whom he had always loved like a daughter._

_"Regina, I understand you're angry and I'm very sorry. I think we should talk about this once you calm down, dearie. "Knowing the brunette, Gold knew that any attempt to talk at this point was futile._

_"I don't care what you have to say. I want you to leave!" The three of them looked at the door in surprise when Zelena walked in in alarm._

_"What's going on here? Everyone outside is hearing her screams!" Rupert concluded the best thing he could do in that situation was to leave. He was hoping he could talk to Regina another time. Although he knew it was difficult, perhaps with some time the woman would allow him to explain the situation._

**End of flashback.**

"Thanks for coming with me, Kathryn." Regina was finished applying her makeup while her friend looked at her watch. "You know how much I hate going to Gold's annual party."

"I know, but maybe it won't be so bad this year. You know, with Gold busy with his granddaughter and people gossiping about them. Maybe you won't even have to talk to him." She offered her friend a warm smile. Few people knew her as well as she did. "We'll get there early, have a couple of drinks and before you know it you'll be back at your place." They both got in the car and drove to Gold's. 

Belle received them as usual, enthusiastically, and handed them a glass of champagne. Many people had not yet arrived. The women came to greet Gold, who was happily introducing his granddaughter to his business partners and friends.

"Gina!" Hope ran to embrace the brunette who didn't hide the big smile on her face.

"Regina, Kathryn! I'm so glad you came. I believe you've met my granddaughter." Gold walked over to them with a smile and kissed the blonde woman's cheek, while the mayor focused her attention on the girl.

"How are you, little one? You look beautiful in that dress." The little girl blushed at the compliment.

"I didn't want to wear a dress, but my mom said I should." The little girl whispered in her ear. Regina understood her discomfort. She had spent many years having to wear dresses when she didn't want to and smiling when she met people she didn't care for.

"Where's your mother, Hope?" Gold was watching her exchange attentively.

"Miss Swan must be around. Why don't you go look for her, Hope?" The girl nodded and quickly did as she was asked. "Regina, dearie, I'm so glad you're here." The man tried to approach her but the woman stepped back.

"We'd better go and find Frederick. Kathryn promised to meet him here." The brunette took her friend's arm and they blended into the crowd. Once she was sure she was out of Rupert's reach, she left her friend with her boyfriend and went to the bathroom to be alone.

Finding the door closed and noting that there were more people in the house, she opened the door to the studio and entered quietly. She sighed, thinking that she was alone, but found the little blonde girl staring at her with her hands behind her back.

"What have you got there?" The girl smiled mischievously as she showed her a picture frame with her photo.

"Is that you in the picture?" Regina sat down on the couch and the girl rushed up to her lap.

"That's right. His name was Rocinante. When I was a kid, I never missed a chance to ride him." Hope placed her head on the woman's shoulder and nodded. "Weren't you looking for your mom? Has something happened?" The brunette gently stroked the girl's blonde hair. It was obvious that she didn't want to be there.

"She's hiding in the bathroom. I didn't want to disturb her." Regina rolled her eyes, of course the woman was hiding. "I heard her talking to my uncle August, saying she didn't want to come to be judged by some rich people, but she had to because my grandfather had asked her to." From the way the girl was leaning on her, it was obvious she wasn't telling everything she heard.

"You want to tell me what else you heard?" Hope shrugged and sighed.

"My mom said this is all the family I'm going to meet. She said my dad's not coming back." The mayor stroked the girl's back as she cried.

"Did you know that I grew up with your dad? He was like a brother to me. If you want I can tell you some stories about him." The little girl looked at her with her eyes full of tears and her cheeks wet and red. 

"Can you tell me why he left me? Why he didn't even want to meet me?" Regina took some tissues out of her jacket pocket and wiped her face.

"I don't know, honey. I guess he was afraid to meet you. Because if he had met you, I don't think he would have wanted to spend a second away from you." Hope put her arms behind her neck and hugged her tightly. "What do you say we go get your mom out of the bathroom?" The girl nodded, her face still hidden in her shoulder.

The bathroom door was still locked. Emma was inside sitting on the toilet trying to work up the courage to come out. She felt out of her element, she had never been surrounded by such wealthy people. She had felt all the judgmental looks on her face. She didn't want to expose herself or her daughter to it, but it was too late.

She was holding her head in her arms when someone knocked on the door. "Occupied!"

"Miss Swan, stop hiding and come out at once." Regina replied, trying to hide the amusement she was feeling.

"Shit! Fuck!" Emma moved around not quite knowing what to do.

"Language! I'm with your daughter, dear." The girl was laughing out loud.

"I like it when you call my mom that way." Her mother opened the door with a goofy smile on her face.

"I like it too. I'm sure you want to come in. Sorry it took me so long, I was... err... well... um...my stomach…" She could think of hundreds of lies to tell but they were all embarrassing.

"We know you were hiding, Mum." Her daughter probably saved her from having to say something worse than the truth.

"Regina, I've been looking for you." Gold showed up to interrupt the moment. The smile disappeared from the brunette's face and Emma wondered why. Before she said anything, she took her daughter's hand and they excused themselves.

"What do you need?" The woman answered dryly as she followed the man into the study again.

"Please sit down." The man asked her while pointing to the chair in front of the desk. "I see you're getting along wonderfully with my granddaughter." Regina crossed her arms across her chest and looked to her side.

"She's a lovely child. I can't imagine who she might have inherited it from. Probably from her mother." Rupert looked at her, hoping to have the talk they both needed.

"Regina, I can understand that you're still angry about what you heard me say three years ago, but I think this has to stop." The woman was looking at him hard.

"Is that what you think? Well, I don't think so. My father was a great man, Gold. He was the one who paid for my education even though my mother refused. He was the one who helped me pay for what I needed while I lived with Daniel. He was the one who supported me every step of the way. You know, you were the go-between." The brunette had red cheeks of rage. Whenever she remembered that moment she couldn't feel anything but anger.

"I don't want you to think any less of your father, sweetheart. Henry was a great man, you're right. But he couldn't stand up to your mother, so we always argued." The man looked at the woman for a moment and decided it was time she knew the truth. "Regina, I was never the go-between for anything. You know I always thought of you as a daughter. I couldn't let your talent, your skills end up in the trash. I was the one who gave you the money for college and to live with Daniel. I can show you the bank drafts if you don't believe me." The brunette had gotten out of her seat and was standing there watching Gold.

"Is this supposed to prove something? If you want, I can pay you back every penny." She responded with contempt.

"I'm telling you the truth in the hope of restoring our relationship. I was not wrong to think that it would be you who would continue my legacy. Even if you refuse to believe it, you're mine too, sweetheart. That's why I've been your mentor, that's why you're the mayor of this town." Regina widened her eyes. She had spent her life trying not to look like her mother and refused to accept that what she had accomplished was thanks to that man.

"I am nothing like you." Rupert approached the woman to stop her from leaving.

"You are very much like me, even if you dislike it. But you're better than I'll ever be. You don't need anyone to show you what's really important, Regina. You get that from your father. I'm not the man I once was. Too much has happened. Belle, Neal, Hope. Please talk to me again when you're ready, I can't lose another child." The woman was speechless at the plea. She swallowed the answer and could only nod her head. She left the studio in a daze and mingled with the people.

Emma was chatting cheerfully with Mary Margaret. "You don't know how reassuring it is to see a familiar face at this party." They were both drinking from their respective glasses.

"David hates coming to these parties, too, but he knows we don't have much choice. My father is a partner at Gold, and he was also a partner at Henry Mills, sir." The blonde looked around the room to see if anyone was close enough to hear them.

"So you've known Regina a long time?" The other woman took her arm and gently pushed her away from the crowd.

"Regina was like a big sister to me. At one point I even wished she was my stepmother, but that was a long time ago." A large, older man approached them. "Allow me to introduce my father, Leopold Blanchard. Father, this is Emma Swan, my new friend."

Leopold politely shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My daughter has grown very fond of you and your daughter. I want you to know that from now on you can count on me for anything. And I hope I haven't interrupted you." Swan smiled at her amicably.

"Thank you, sir. Don't worry, you didn't interrupt anything. We were just talking about the Mills family." The man adopted a solemn expression.

"Henry was a great friend of mine. I'm sorry he's no longer with us. Naturally, I tried to take care of his family properly, but unfortunately Regina didn't agree with me." David had slowly approached from behind Mr. Blanchard with a friendly smile.

"Can I borrow Emma for a second?" The others smiled and the woman followed him into the corner of the room. "I know how hard it can be to blend in with these people. Don't get me wrong, I love Mary's family but I know how uncomfortable it can seem at first." The blonde nodded.

"Tell me about it. I'm doing what I think will be best for my daughter, but it's pretty hard anyway." The man laughed.

"Trust me. Always try to be close to Regina. That woman always knows the hiding places of all the mansions and if not, she's great company." Emma looked at him in awe.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same Regina?" The man shook his head.

"I know she seems distant, but it' s just a shell." The blonde was intrigued. Every time someone talked about that woman, her curiosity grew.

"Do you think you can tell me anything else, David? Where do you know each other from?" He seemed to hesitate for a few moments but in his heart he knew he was doing the right thing.

"I was Daniel's best friend, Regina's husband. We met when we were just teenagers. They fell madly in love and haven't been apart since they met. So when I wanted to see my best friend I had to agree to see her too. There was no way I could see them apart." David scratched his head with a nostalgic expression. "Regina loved to ride, and Daniel worked tending to the Mills family's horses. At least until they found out about the affair. I still remember Cora threatening Daniel to stop seeing her daughter, but nothing she said was going to stop that from happening. They got married when Regina turned 18 and eloped to Boston. Kathryn, Mary Margaret, and I were all very supportive." Emma smiled as she imagined the mayor so happy, she couldn't remember ever seeing her like that.

"But why does Regina seem to hate Mary Margaret if you were all friends?" David's expression turned sour.

"That's a long story. Regina is a great person. What she's done with Henry in spite of everything, the courage she had to move on after Daniel's accident. Let me tell you, Emma, I've never met anyone like her. She always does what's right, even when it breaks her heart." The blonde nodded, remembering the night before, when the other woman had opened up so that she would be safe. "Speaking of the devil..." Swan turned his head and came face to face with Regina.

"Miss Swan, I'm glad to see you at the party and not locked in the bathroom." The woman expressed in a seductive tone, immediately addressing the man. "David, it's always a pleasure to see you. I hope your father-in-law isn't bothering you too much." He laughed and shook his head.

"No, not too much. I should go save my wife. Regina, I'm entrusting Emma's welfare to you." He walked over to his wife laughing.

"Regina, I wanted to apologize for what I did last night..." The other woman stretched out her arm and waved.

"There's no need, Miss Swan. We agreed not to talk about it." The brunette arched one ear and seductively lowered her voice. "Unless you plan to do the same tonight, dear. I don't think alcohol would be much of an excuse for you anymore." Emma blushed at the sound of it.

"No, um... I don't plan anything... "

"So you're just acting on instinct." The brunette replied with a big smile.

"Jesus, woman! Will you stop embarrassing me? "Swan implored her.

"And deprive me of the only fun of the night? I don't think so." Regina looked around. "Where's your daughter?" 

"She's playing with some kids near the entrance, don't worry." She saw the look of concern on the other woman's face. "You look beautiful by the way."

"Compliments won't get you far, dear. I think Hope, you and I should leave now." Regina took the woman by the arm and walked to the entrance where the girl was standing in a corner away from the other children. "It's time to go, honey. It's still early, if it's okay with your mom, you can come home for a while." The little blonde girl smiled with relief.

Emma was trying to figure out what was going on as the three of them climbed into the Mercedez, but Regina didn't give her time. In the blink of an eye, the three of them were in the mayor's living room.

"Hope, honey, you can pick any movie you want. If you're hungry, I can offer you something to eat." The brunette had already taken off her shoes and was heading for the kitchen. Emma's daughter followed her and took off her shoes while she selected the film. Her mother just sat down on the couch and tried to get as comfortable as possible. After all, an evening with Regina Mills was the best she could hope for.


	6. Chapter 6

"Gina, can we watch Captain Marvel?" Hope extended the selected DVD to her mother.

"Of course, honey. It's one of Henry's favorite movies. Do you like superhero stories too?" Regina had returned from the kitchen with three dishes containing mini pizzas, potato chips and a variety of vegetable snacks.

"Not particularly. What I'm interested in is strong female characters. At the Boston library, I had started reading some books from the feminist section. This year I asked Mom to buy me one on the history of the beginning of the feminist movement for my birthday, but she says I'm still too young for some subjects." The girl explained as the woman looked at the mother and daughter, back and forth. Emma shrugged.

"We have a precocious mind among us. What can I say? Since she learned, she reads everything in her reach." The blonde took a mini pizza to her mouth and closed her eyes. "Oh my God. You have to tell me where you bought this."

"It's all homemade, dear. I can pass you the recipe if you want." Both blondes smiled enthusiastically. That woman was amazing. It seemed like everything she did, she did to perfection. "I have my own collection of books about feminism in my studio, Hope. "If your mother agrees, you can come and read any of them that interest you. With my supervision, of course."

"Oh no, Regina, we don't want to bother you." The girl looked at her mother with pleading eyes. "Don't look at me like that. Regina has a very busy schedule." The mayor watched the little girl's enthusiasm wane, but she didn't argue with her mother or throw a tantrum. She imagined her son instead, maybe she was spoiling him a little.

"It would be no trouble at all, Miss Swan. It would be my pleasure to have Hope's company when you feel it's appropriate." She kindly insisted.

The three of them were sitting on a couch watching the movie in silence. Hope was sitting in the middle of the two women and by that time, she was already sound asleep. Her mother looked to her side and felt a deep peace. For the first time since they had moved there, she felt she had made the right decision.

Regina cleared her throat. "If you want, you can take your daughter into Henry's room. I can wish you a glass of wine or homemade cider if you want to stay a while longer." It was clear that the woman did not want them to leave and Emma was enjoying her company.

With her daughter in her arms, the women went up the stairs to Henry's room. The walls were filled with superhero posters, the shelves were filled with comic books and fairy tales and various Marvel, DC and Star Wars action figures. The kid was a total nerd.

Once Hope was lying in bed, the doorbell rang and the mayor headed for the door wondering who it could be. Emma stayed in the room a few more minutes, tucking her daughter in. It wasn't as easy as when Hope was younger, but she could still do it. There was a noise from downstairs and the woman came out, squeaking her way through the door.

Swan was surprised to see a man groping Regina. It seemed that the woman wanted to push him away but she couldn't.

"Graham, stop." The sheriff grabbed her ass with one hand and guided her into a wall with the other.

"Come on, Regina. It's been two weeks since the last time. Henry's with his grandparents. We have the house to ourselves." The brunette opened her mouth to answer but the man kissed her passionately. He didn't seem to notice the woman's resistance. Emma wasn't going to stand idly by in that situation. She hurried down the stairs and took the man by the shoulder.

"We have a problem? I thought I heard Regina say stop, dude." Graham let go of the mayor and blushed. He hadn't noticed any cars in the driveway so he thought no one else was in the house. He thought that Regina had wanted to start some kind of game of seduction.

"No, Miss Swan. The sheriff is leaving." The man ignored the blonde's presence and focused his attention on the other woman.

"I'm sorry, Regina. I thought you were teasing me. I would never hurt you, you know that." The woman's cheeks turned red and her eyes fell on the blonde who hadn't let go of Graham and looked at him clearly enraged.

"We'll talk later. Now pack your jacket and go." The sheriff swallowed visibly saddened but followed the orders. Emma didn't take her eyes off him until he left the house. 

"What an asshole!" The blonde exclaimed furiously. "Are you all right, Regina?" The mayor rearranged her dress uncomfortably.

"Yes, it was just a simple misunderstanding, dear. There's no need to escalate the situation." Swan raised her eyes, outraged. 

"A misunderstanding? The man was groping your ass like he owned you! If my daughter hadn't been sleeping upstairs, I would have taught him a lesson. And the way he tried to silence you by sticking his tongue down your throat!" Emma was walking around flailing, while the brunette watched her curiously.

" Careful, Miss Swan. It sounds like you’re jealous." The woman slipped her words seductively. The blonde stopped abruptly. Maybe she was jealous, but that didn't take the gravity out of the sheriff's actions. Emma looked at the other woman intently and approached her. She took her hand to the brunette's neck and stroked a purple circle that had formed there. She felt the other woman tremble.

"You're going to have to cover this up. Unless you want all of Storybrook to fantasize about your sex life. "The mayor narrowed her eyes as she brought her hand to cover the other woman's and lowered it.

"Is that what you've been doing, Emma? Fantasizing about me?" Regina smirked without letting go of her hands, interlocking their fingers. Emma couldn't look away, she was mesmerized. It was obvious that the woman was having fun teasing her, but two could play that game.

"Would you like to know? Would you like me to tell you how many times I've imagined you trembling with pleasure beneath me?" The blonde came a step closer and watched with satisfaction as the other woman visibly swallowed. "Would you like to hear how many times I dreamt of tasting every inch of your skin? How many times have I imagined you out of control, moaning and begging for relief? How many times have I fantasized about lifting up your skirt and revealing how wet you are to me?" Regina's breathing was more agitated than before, her chest was rising and falling sharply. Emma's words, but above all her gaze that devoured her body with desire, had managed to excite her. Although it had started as a game, none of the women felt that way at the time. The blonde brought her fingers to the lips she had kissed the night before, and they parted.

"Em-ma." The brunette sighed, guiding their interlocking hands to her hips. She left the blonde's hand there as she slid her hand delicately down the toned arm.

"Mama? Gina?" As soon as they heard Hope's voice, the two parted quickly and Emma went to meet her. "I need to use the bathroom." After indicating where the bathroom was, the women looked at each other without saying a word, but Regina's gaze was clear. The blonde would have liked to clear up the obvious confusion, clear up all the doubts that the brunette was struggling with, but she knew this was not the time or place for that.

"Maybe you should leave. It's too late now." The mayor couldn't look at Swan and instead of waiting for an answer, she picked up the dishes and took them to the kitchen.

"Say goodbye, honey. We have to go home." The girl nodded drowsily and walked slowly to the kitchen where she found Regina leaning over the sink with her head down.

"What's wrong, little girl?" The woman tried to push the thoughts out of her head.

"My mom said it's time to go but if you don't feel well we can stay and take care of you." Gina shook her head and smiled sweetly at her.

"It's just a headache. Don't worry, corazón."

“Hasta mañana, Gina.” Hope's Spanish made Regina laugh happily. She was definitely the smartest girl I'd ever met. She and her mother were definitely finding a place in her heart.

\- - -

The next week, Kathryn and Zelena were at Regina's house like every Sunday. Her sister had left her daughter with her husband and her mother, who had had a hard time convincing her not to accompany her on the visit.

"I assure you, little sister, our mother is furious. I almost had to push her out of the car so she wouldn't come here and demand an explanation." The women laughed, imagining the situation.

"Seriously, Regina. Can you tell us why you decided to run away from the party with a certain blonde and her daughter in plain sight?" The brunette grunted irritably, anything she did turned into gossip material.

"Since when do I have to explain myself?" Her sister looked at her amused. Both she and Kathryn had noticed her predilection for the blonde. The way she refused to talk about her and desperately pretended to be indifferent confirmed their suspicions.

"Since you can't take your eyes off her!"

"Stop talking nonsense, Zelena!" The mayor moved uncomfortably in her seat and looked at her friend, pleading.

"I don't know, Regina. Zelena has a point. I spent hours on the phone with Tink the other day talking about how sexy Emma is." The blonde one grinned.

"If I wasn't married to Chad, I would have gone down there and eaten her myself."

"Don't be so ordinary!" Regina understood perfectly what women wanted to achieve. She tried to stay in control for as long as possible but imagining Emma with her sister was more than she could bear.

"I'm sure Zelena can give you some good pointers. After all, she has experience in the field." The brunette snorted. 

"It's been a long time since I've been down that road, but I've got some moves you might find useful." The two women laughed as Regina excused herself and headed out of the room.

"So, what do we know about Emma Swan?" Kathryn asked seriously.

"That she's going to be the cause of my mother's death!" 

\- - -

Emma Swan walked into Granny's. August had stayed with Hope at the apartment, while she went to get lunch. Her friend had told her he'd gone on a date with Ruby but had refused to tell her how it went. Maybe she' d have better luck with the waitress.

"Hey, Ruby! Could you make me two grilled cheese sandwiches and a burger with extra fries?" The other woman shouted the order to her grandmother. "So... How was your date?"

"Straight to the point." The brunette laughed. "I had a great time. Auggie is wonderful and a gentleman. How was the party?"

"I'm glad to hear I trained him well." The blonde joked. "I was only at the party a couple of hours and to be honest, I spent most of the time hiding in the bathroom." She had sat in an armchair while waiting for her order.

"You know Hope told Auggie that you guys ended the night at Regina's, right?" Emma rolled her eyes. "Come on, Swan! Did you get lucky?"

"Ruby! We just watched a movie and ate something. I don't think any of us wanted to be at that party." The other woman looked at her in disbelief. "Okay, I might have a little crush. But can you blame me? The woman is some kind of goddess! "Ruby hugged her with a laugh.

"I knew it! I'm not gonna lie to you, it's not gonna be easy to seduce Regina but I'm gonna help you with whatever you need."

"Ruby! Stop chatting and get to work!" Granny interrupted the conversation and looked at the blonde with her eyes narrowed. "You! Come to the kitchen for a minute." Emma obeyed without hesitation. "Let me tell you something. When my Ruby was nine years old, her parents died in a car accident and she was left in my care. My daughter worked for the Mills family in the kitchen. Regina and her father Henry came to offer their condolences and any help we needed." The blonde nodded her head. "Regina was 14 at the time and, from then on, she always brought Ruby home from school and stayed with her, helping her with homework and entertaining her. For four years that girl looked after my granddaughter without asking for anything in return. And even when the place was full, she would clean the tables and serve the customers. I was aware that her mother was against her doing this and that many of her classmates made fun of her, but there still wasn't a day in four years when she didn't come and help me. She's like a daughter to me, you understand?" 

"Yes, I think I understand." Emma was touched by the story.

"Good! Because if you do anything to hurt her, I have a crossbow under the counter." Granny handed her her order and fired her not so nicely. On her way out, the blonde looked under the counter and there was indeed a crossbow.

"Ems! My shift is over. I'm walking with you to your house. I hope my grandmother didn't intimidate you." Ruby and Emma were walking down the street.

"Just a little bit. Hey, Ruby. What happened between you and Regina?" The brunette sighed bitterly and slowed down.

"It's a long story, but I guess we have time. Did you know that Regina was married?" Seeing the woman nodding, she went on. "Well, her husband's name was Daniel and he worked for her family. At first only I knew about the relationship because she always took me to the stables with her and Mary Margaret, but Regina made me promise not to say anything. I was 11 at the time and she was like a sister to me. One day I was playing with Mary there and when we entered the stables we saw Daniel and Regina kissing. She made Mary promise to keep the secret because her family would not approve of the relationship. I never quite knew why but Mary Margaret ended up telling Cora everything. It was really horrible, Ems. Sometimes I'd see Regina's arms covered in bruises."

"What? You're saying her mother beat her?" Emma had some experience of her own with that and knew how much it could traumatize someone.

"He didn't just beat her, Ems. Cora controlled everything Regina did. She was only allowed to go to school and take care of me afterwards because her father insisted on it. Granny would let Daniel through the back door of the cafeteria so they could see each other in the kitchen for a while. When Regina finished school, she moved to Boston with Daniel and they got married. Eventually, she forgave Mary Margaret and I know they used to meet in Boston. I talked to them on the phone almost every day and sometimes I went to visit them." The brunette swallowed a lump in her throat. "David was Daniel's best friend and Kathryn's fiancé."

"Kathryn? Like Regina's friend?" Swan was surprised. When Mary Margaret had told her about her story with David she had excluded that detail.

"That one. Regina and Kathryn were 24 years old and had known each other all their lives because their parents were friends and they went to school together. So were Daniel and David, only they were a year older. Mary Margaret was 22 and since she met David she fell in love with him. Even though he was engaged, he had been meeting Mary on the sly for months." Emma couldn't believe her ears. She had trouble imagining the couple she had met doing that. "The night of Daniel's accident, he and Regina had invited Mary to dinner to ask her to be Henry's godmother. You should have seen Regina at that time, Ems. She was radiant with her huge belly." Ruby wiped a tear from her face. "That same night David confessed to Kathryn that he had fallen in love with Mary, and she went to Regina's house. You can imagine the scene when Kathryn met Mary at the house. Daniel insisted on driving Mary home so Regina could calm her friend down. As Daniel was returning, a driver turned the other way and hit his car. He was taken to the hospital but the doctors couldn't save him. He died within hours and Regina was devastated." The blonde took her friend's hand and squeezed it. 

"Now I understand why Regina seems to hate Mary Margaret, but not why you two stopped hanging out." Ruby wiped the tears that were streaming down her face.

"I knew it, Emma. I always knew Mary Margaret was seeing David and I never said anything. I even helped them find them. David had lost his best friend and Mary was focused on him, and I was here and the last few times I talked to Regina I tried to defend them. We all saw how she was suffering; how Daniel's parents blamed her for their daughter's death; how her family, except for her sister, refused to talk to her. And none of us knew how to comfort her. We watched her walk away, and instead of understanding her, we allowed it to happen. We left her alone 8 months pregnant with her dead husband's child."

"Everyone left her when she needed them most." Emma sighed with tears in her eyes. She had experienced that abandonment several times but when she was pregnant with Hope it had been one of the most painful.

"By the time Henry was born, we no longer spoke to each other. We found out because she asked David to talk to Daniel's parents. To this day they still blame her. To all the people she is the Evil Queen, and although she has the right to defend herself, she never spoke ill of any of us. And though the relationship is no longer the same, she is always kind to us, except for Mary Margaret." Ruby looked down in shame.

"Ruby, I don't know what to tell you." Emma was silent. The conversation had brought her many doubts, but she had one certainty: she was going to try by all means possible to make Regina Mills happy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry the chapter is so short. I've been having some problems with my computer, but I'll be back to upload longer chapters.

Emma and August were excited about the opening of their gym. They had already enrolled some people and expected that number to grow over the course of the week. Zelena, her husband Chad, Mary Margaret, David, Mulan, Tink, Ruby, Belle, Graham, Killian, and Leroy were the first to sign up.

The morning went by quite calmly. The first to appear were Tink, Killian and Zelena. This last one was a real nightmare for Emma, she spent the whole training session asking her personal questions.

"So, Emma, are you seeing anyone? You're too pretty not to be, don't you think, Tink?" Repeatedly, the trainer had to ask her to concentrate on the exercises she was doing and she avoided answering her questions.

At one point Emma turned her back on her and focused her attention on Tink. That time was enough for Zelena to leave the machine she was using and go on a tour of the facility. The blonde heard a crash.

"Oopsie... I think I broke the office door." Indeed, the door handle was broken.

"Don't worry, Zelena." Emma sighed in defeat. "I have the toolbox in the trunk of the car. I think I can fix it later." Although she thought she'd have enough time to do it, she didn't count on all the members arriving at different times. Hope came home from school and needed to stay in the office doing her homework. The only solution they could find was to leave the key in to open the lock.

The work day came to an end and August offered to take the girl home and look after her while her friend locked the gym and fixed the door.

Mulan was the only person left there, she had finished showering and changing her clothes. The owner escorted her to the exit door while they talked about different exercise routines.

"Officer Fa, Miss Swan." Regina was watching the place from the outside. She seemed hesitant and when Emma moved awkwardly to allow Mulan to pass, she hit her, causing the officer to spill her sports drink on the mayor. "You've got to be kidding me!" The shirt was soaked with some kind of shake.

"I'm so sorry, Regina. Let me help you!" The officer also apologized to her but she ran away instantly. The gym owner cursed on the inside, she couldn't help but look like an idiot in front of that woman.

"I'm beginning to think you really enjoy ruining my shirts." The mayor entered the gym in a rage and threw her purse on the reception desk.

"I have an extra shirt in the office. Let me lend it to you." The blonde opened the door with the key and left it open. She bent down behind the desk to get the T-shirt out of her purse. She didn't think Regina would come in behind her, much less close the door. "Shit!"

"Language, Miss Swan! If I can maintain cordiality despite being a constant victim of your clumsiness, I don't see how it can be difficult to maintain form because you can't find a t-shirt." The woman was looking at her with a playful smile, leaning against the door. The blonde swallowed.

"You just locked us in, Regina. The door is broken." The mayor's expression mutated into utter concern. She turned quickly and grabbed the handle.

"You idiot! How could you not tell me this before?" The desperate attempts to open the door were futile even when she pushed it with her shoulder.

"Regina, stop! You're going to hurt yourself. We just have to call August and let him know what happened. Before you know it, he'll be here." At that moment, Emma realized she didn't have her cell phone with her. "Ummm... Can I borrow your cell phone?"

Regina rushed to her. "You idiot!" She screamed as she gave the blonde a little push. "I left my purse on the counter! There's got to be another way out of there." The mayor was clearly agitated.

"Hey! None of this was my fault. Your sister Zelena is the one who broke the door and you're the one who closed it! The blonde held the other woman in her arms but the mayor pushed her away.

"If you weren't a clumsy machine I wouldn't be in here in the first place." The woman looked at her in anger but soon turned her attention to the rest of the office. There was no other way out. The bathroom window was the only one and too small for anyone to pass through. The mayor began to hyperventilate, she was short of breath and felt a little dizzy.

"Regina, what's wrong with you? Are you claustrophobic or something?" Regina stared at her, it looked like her forehead vein was going to burst.

"Not at all, Miss Swan." She sneered back. "I just can't stand the idea of being confined in the same space as you for an indefinite period of time. Besides, I have obligations to fulfill, both as mayor and as a mother." Emma understood that the other woman's apparent rudeness was a defense mechanism. Unfortunately, she had observed many of her foster siblings engaging in the same behaviors.

"Why don't you sit on the couch? I'll get you a glass of water from the bathroom tap." The softness with which he spoke only made the other woman angrier.

"I don't need water and I don't want to sit down!" The mayor screamed. She realized that she looked like a child's tantrum but she couldn't control her emotions. "I need to get out of here right now." She looked down and couldn't help the sobbing and the tears. Her body was shaking slightly and she put both hands to her face. Emma rushed to her and led her to the chair.

"Sh, sh, it's okay. Just breathe. In and out." The blonde stroked the other woman's hair and carefully guided her to her shoulder. "I'm sure we won't be here much longer. Don't worry, we'll be fine." The mayor allowed her to hold her and gradually she calmed down.

"Emma," she said like a whisper. "I'm sorry... My mother was a very strict woman..."

"Regina, you don't need to explain anything to me. We're fine." The blonde interrupted her as she caressed her back.

"I want to do it." Regina assured her as she settled her head on her shoulder. "Sometimes I spent whole days locked in my room as punishment. No matter how much I screamed or apologized, how much I begged for something to eat... I couldn't get out." Emma distanced herself a bit and held one of her hands up to the brunette's face.

"I know what you mean. I'm an orphan. I was in the system until I was 18. I was never adopted so I went through several foster homes, too many. Some were good but most were bad. Some foster parents used physical punishment on me and others just ignored me. I was seven when I found out they were only interested in government checks."

"I'm so sorry, Emma. No one deserves that." Regina spoke tenderly to her. In her eyes there wasn't an ounce of pity, only understanding.

"It's in the past now." The blonde responded with a smile that was answered with another. "What do you say we take advantage of this time to get to know each other better? Tell me something that no one knows about you."

"And why would I do such a stupid thing, Miss Swan?" The mayor responded playfully.

"Well, because if we don't do anything, I'm going to get bored, and believe me, if you find me unbearable on a good day, you won't want to know me bored." They both kept the short distance they had on the couch. "I'll start... Let's see... Swan's not really my last name. Well, it is, but only because I chose it." The brunette leaned back a little more on the couch.

"Why Swan?"

"When I was a kid, I don't know maybe I was nine or ten, I was in a horrible foster home. One of the worst. Every night the foster father would come in drunk or high and if he saw any of us, well... He'd start calling us names or hitting us. We were seven kids of different ages, I was one of the youngest. We shared the same room and one of the other girls had a book that I loved as soon as I saw it. The ugly duckling. I liked it so much that when social services came, I put it in my things. I guess the story resonated with me, especially when I was growing up and no one wanted to adopt me. By the time I was 12, I was saying my last name was Swan. I don't know, I guess I was hoping to become a beautiful swan or something. I know, it's stupid."

"It's not stupid at all. What happened to the book?" Regina had been looking at it with sweetness and interest the whole time. She felt a great desire to hug her but didn't know if it would be right.

"I think I lost it in another foster home. It doesn't matter anymore. When you're a foster child, you learn not to get attached." Emma cleared her throat. It had been a long time since she felt so comfortable with a person.

"Seeing your daughter, I highly doubt you've ever been an ugly duckling, Emma. And I don't think you're unbearable. In fact, I think quite the opposite. For a few moments they both stood silently staring at each other, the blonde with the big grin on her face. "I have a comic book collection of Asterix, the Gaul." The brunette confessed and they both laughed.

"Asterix the Gaul? I don't think I've ever heard of that comic."

"When Henry was five years old he was fascinated by the comic book store and I had to take him there almost every day. It wasn't just the comics, he enjoyed talking to whoever was in the store. One day he was talking to another kid and I started looking around and found an Asterix comic. It was one of the few that were there, but after reading it for a while I had to buy it. I think I must have about thirty of them now. Some of them are even in French." Emma laughed.

"Of course you could make comics into something refined. You're a box of surprises, Regina Mills."

"And you haven't heard anything yet, dear. Maybe if you had something to drink, I'd tell you some other things." The brunette said playing with the other woman, who got up from her couch and went to her desk. She pulled out a bottle of whiskey and raised an eyebrow.

"Challenge accepted, Mills. Let's see what you got."

The next morning August found the office door closed, an empty whiskey bottle and the two women curled up sleeping on the couch.


End file.
